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Theatre was not only popular for itself, then, but also for the opportunities it afforded the audience for social interaction and establishing hierarchy and dominance in a world where such social, economic, and political identities were in a state of massive flux.
From base to cultured, rich to poor, art to ostentation, it is the various contradictions inherent to Elizabethan theatre that made it such a popular form of entertainment during the period. These contradictions dovetailed nicely with the general Elizabethan way of life, which was itself marked by a distinct dichotomy between stated principles and allowances for freer ways of life. The degree of license that was taken in matters of work, business, love, and sex during the Elizabethan time is clearly observable in the drama of the period, which afforded an opportunity...
Elizabethans had no problem with the hypocrisy this seems to suggest, but rather this ambiguity had continued to make Elizabethan drama popular ever since.
Works Cited
"Elizabethan Entertainment." Elizabethan Era.org. Accessed 13 November 2009. http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-entertainment.htm
Freedley, George and Reeves, John. A History of the Theatre. New York: Crown Publishers, 1941.
Kareti, Kavitha. "Elizabethan England: Popular Amusements and Entertainment." Springfield. Accessed 13 November 2009. http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield/eliz/amusements.html
Shakespeare Info. "Elizabethan Theatres." Accessed 13 November 2009. http://www.william-shakespeare.info/elizabethan-theaters.htm
Works Cited
"Elizabethan Entertainment." Elizabethan Era.org. Accessed 13 November 2009. http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-entertainment.htm
Freedley, George and Reeves, John. A History of the Theatre. New York: Crown Publishers, 1941.
Kareti, Kavitha. "Elizabethan England: Popular Amusements and Entertainment." Springfield. Accessed 13 November 2009. http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield/eliz/amusements.html
Shakespeare Info. "Elizabethan Theatres." Accessed 13 November 2009. http://www.william-shakespeare.info/elizabethan-theaters.htm
Elizabethan Theater Elizabethan theatre is a general concept embodying the plays written and performed openly in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I from 1558 to 1603. The term can be applied more generally to also incorporate theatre of Elizabeth's immediate successors, James I and Charles I, till the end of public theatres in 1642 on the inception of Civil War. (Elizabethan theatre: Wikipedia) During the end of 16th century
A hut on top of the 'Tiring House' was there for apparatus and machines. Flag above the hut was there to indicate concert day. Musicians' veranda was beneath the hut at the third level and spectators would have to sit on 2nd level. (the Elizabethan Theatre: Introduction to Theatre Online Course) The performance sites are also original. First managed in suitable public places like inn courtyards, in the fashion of
Elizabethan Theater Theater in the Elizabethan Age The Elizabethan period in England was dominated by intrigue at court (which was a constant) and the willpower of Elizabeth herself, but the various people formed a strata that looked more similar to today than most would guess. Throughout recent history, going back a thousand years or so, society is simplistically divided into three groups: wealthy, merchants/artisans, poor. These three can be further delineated, but
In the second transition the Hamlet could have murdered Claudius while he was pleading guilty in front of God. Had Hamlet resorted to revenge at this stage then Claudius would have reached heaven since he had admitted while the father of Hamlet was in purgatory since he did not find the scope to admit. This led Hamlet to arrive at the conclusion of not killing Claudius at this moment
He exemplifies the expansion of the middle class and commercialism during the era. The book is a kind of inventive biography -- little is known for certain of Shakespeare's life but Greenblatt uses the skeleton of Shakespeare's plays to fill in details of common concerns of many figures of the period. Long, William J. "The Elizabethan Age: 1550 -- 1620." From Outlines of English and American Literature. April 4, 2009. http://www.djmcadam.com/elizabethan-age.html This
But Shakespeare does not try to render Republican Rome in faithful and accurate historical detail. "Peace! count the clock," says Brutus (2.1) although the play is ostensibly set during ancient times, and the practice of bear-baiting is referred to when Octavius says "We are at the stake / And bayed about by many enemies" (4.1)The entertainment of bear-baiting, a reminder of the brutality of the Elizabethan age, was even